- Site: sive.rs - By: - Date published: 2013-06-15 - Date read: [[2024-10-03]] - [Read Original](https://sive.rs/robust) - [Read on Omnivore](https://omnivore.app/me/fragile-plan-vs-robust-plan-derek-sivers-1924e31fbe9) - Tags: #Business #Smarter_Living #Business_Analysis #Better_Living - Notes: **Note:** Below is the text from the article, with any ==highlights== done by me. None of the writing below is by me. # Article text <DIV id="readability-content"><DIV data-omnivore-anchor-idx="1" class="page" id="readability-page-1"><article data-omnivore-anchor-idx="2"> <p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="3"> When I <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="4" href="https://sive.rs/eg">first had the idea for Wood Egg</a> — publishing 16 books about 16 countries every year — I thought I would write them all <strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="5">myself</strong>. Visit 16 countries for 3 weeks each, doing intensive research the whole time. That’s 48 weeks, so I could do it again each year. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="6"> … But I had a baby on the way, so that idea lasted about a minute. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="7"> Then I thought of <strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="8">a journalist</strong> I know who would love that kind of life. I asked, she said yes, she flew to Singapore, and started working. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="9"> … But it was a really bad fit, so after five weeks, we called it quits. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="10"> Then I decided to hire <strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="11">one writer per-country</strong>. 16 authors to write 16 books. This went OK at first. <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="12" href="http://mohitpawar.com/about/">Mohit Pawar</a> did a great job with India, and <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="13" href="http://www.cameronkeng.com/about/">Cameron Keng</a> did a great job with Taiwan. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="14"> … But the people I hired for the other countries flaked out, so I realized this plan was still too fragile. </p> <h4 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="15"> Making a Robust Plan </h4> <p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="16"> I really wanted this to work. I had to be smart. I had to make a better plan. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="17"> I re-read my notes on <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="18" href="https://sive.rs/book/EMythRevisited">E-Myth</a>, <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="19" href="https://sive.rs/book/WisdomOfCrowds">The Wisdom of Crowds</a>, <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="20" href="https://sive.rs/book/Crowdsourcing">Crowdsourcing</a>, and <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="21" href="https://sive.rs/book/HereComesEverybody">Here Comes Everybody</a>. (In fact, I re-read <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="22" href="https://sive.rs/book">my notes on 130 books</a>. It was an enlightening week.) </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="23"> I learned a few things: </p><ol data-omnivore-anchor-idx="24"> <li data-omnivore-anchor-idx="25"><strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="26"> If you want help, it helps to get specific. </strong></li> <li data-omnivore-anchor-idx="27"><strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="28"> A plan that’s too dependent on any one person is too fragile. </strong></li> </ol> <h4 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="29"> Getting Specific: </h4> <p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="30"> Before, I had a very vague outline of what I wanted the book to cover. I asked the authors to include sections on culture, government, business setup, hiring, banking, and marketing. That was it. The details were up to them. Go! </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="31"> In hindsight, I can see how daunting it was. Too wide open. I’ve written about the need to get specific before — (see “<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="32" href="https://sive.rs/get-specific">Get specific</a>” and “<a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="33" href="https://sive.rs/restrictions-will-set-you-free">Restrictions will set you free</a>”) — but I had forgotten to apply it to this. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="34"> So I spent a couple weeks and <strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="35">came up with <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="36" href="http://woodegg.com/in#toc">200 specific questions</a></strong>. Now, to write the book, we just had to answer those 200 questions. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="37"> It’s infinitely easier to find someone to answer a specific question than to find someone to impart wisdom on a vague topic. It <strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="38">puts the burden on the asker</strong>, to come up with a good question, and <strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="39">lifts the burden from the answerer.</strong> </p> <h4 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="40"> Multiple People: </h4> <p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="41"> So that the book was not dependent on any one person, and the book was not one person’s opinion, I made a system where each of those 200 questions had to be <strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="42">answered by three different people</strong>. Ideally, one local, one foreigner, and one other. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="43"> 16 countries × 3 researchers = 48 people. I used <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="44" href="https://www.upwork.com/">Upwork.com</a> to find people in each country. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="45"> Of course, some disappeared, some never finished, and a few gave bad answers, but that was OK. Life happens. People’s circumstances change. I understand. But it won’t hurt my plan. If any one person is gone, I can still carry on. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="46"> When all 200 questions had 3 answers each, (16 × 200 × 3 = 9600 answers), I hired a few writer/editors to combine the answers into one essay per question. Again, one person disappeared, but it was easy for another to step in. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="47"> And that was the robust plan that got it <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="48" href="http://woodegg.com/">done</a>. </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="49"> <em data-omnivore-anchor-idx="50"> (Note: I was also visiting every country myself, and contributing my own research to the books. But it was important that the plan didn’t require me, either.) </em> </p> <h4 data-omnivore-anchor-idx="51"> Lessons learned? </h4> <p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="52"> If you’re starting a project or company: </p> <ol data-omnivore-anchor-idx="53"> <li data-omnivore-anchor-idx="54"> Don’t expect anyone to care as much as you. </li> <li data-omnivore-anchor-idx="55"> Don’t require them to think as hard about this as you have. </li> <li data-omnivore-anchor-idx="56"> Do expect them to change their mind and disappear. </li> <li data-omnivore-anchor-idx="57"> Make a robust plan that includes #1-3. </li> </ol> <p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="58"> <strong data-omnivore-anchor-idx="59"> As the founder, the burden is on you to come up with a great plan, to lift the burden from the people helping you. </strong> </p><p data-omnivore-anchor-idx="60"> Then, when you find some <a data-omnivore-anchor-idx="61" href="https://sive.rs/book/Linchpin">brilliant people</a>, it’s a great bonus, instead of an absolute necessity. </p> <img data-omnivore-anchor-idx="62" data-omnivore-original-src="https://sive.rs/images/table-many-legs.jpg" alt="" src="https://proxy-prod.omnivore-image-cache.app/0x0,sl-HpLRXeTOHa0WpqHavtzUIQJRDZHbcsHK0CLVtpa_w/https://sive.rs/images/table-many-legs.jpg"> </article></DIV></DIV>